Tell Me Why You Like Tomatoes
by SimpleLastWishes
Summary: The first in a series of oncoming one-shots. Akari had always wondered about Gill's obsession with tomatoes. Now was the perfect moment to ask him, but the answer she received was not what she had anticipated.


Akari stumbled into the Sundae Inn after a morning of tedious farm work. Over the past year, her ranch had grown and prospered. The workload had increased along with it, requiring more time and energy to maintain.

She plopped down in a seat close to the door, too tired to grab a table near the counter. Colleen, co-owner of the establishment, noticed the lack of energy in the young woman and decided to go to her for her order. Akari smiled at her gratefully as she would typically have to walk up to the counter herself. She told her just to grab her something to drink.

"Anything in specific?" she inquired. The petite brunette just shook her head and then rested it on her left hand. She let her gaze wander around the room until someone took a seat at her table. She looked up to see that it was the mayor's very own son, Gill.

"Tired?" the platinum blonde asked.

"Yeah. I almost regret owning so many livestock. Should've just stuck to chicken and crops." She sighed. Gill smiled in reply. Contrary to popular belief, Gill was not a cold and distant person. He was just very proper and had some problems reacting to certain situations.

The farmer noticed that Gill was drinking tomato juice again. The guy really liked tomatoes and anything involving the red produce. It was almost strange. Akari couldn't stand tomato juice, really. It just tasted nasty. How could one person like tomatoes so much? It was just weird. There were some extremely strange loves in Waffle town, particularly Luke's infatuation with mayonnaise, but that was beside the point.

"Hey Gill, why do you like tomatoes so much?"

He looked up from his drink. "Well, you see, my mo…"

Before he could answer, Maya had come over to the table holding a glass of blueberry juice. "Mom said that I should give this to you, Akari. You don't look so good today. Hope you feel better after you've rehydry…rehypdr…um, put more liquids in your body!" The overly happy girl skipped away while Akari began to snicker. Gill didn't laugh, but it was evident by his expression that he had found Maya's troubles quite amusing.

Akari cleared her throat. "Anyways," she began as she regained her composure, "what were you saying?"

Her companion nodded and resumed what he had been saying. "Well, my mother, as you know, was the island's school teacher. You also know that she died when I was smaller, correct?" The brunette shot a sympathetic look but immediately replaced it with a poker face, knowing that Gill didn't need it. She shook her head yes and he continued. "My mother had red hair. She had dyed it an unnatural shade of scarlet since before my parents had met, at least according to my father. When she had died, I unknowingly grew to love tomatoes. It seems that they reminded me of her because her hair was the same shade of red as the fruit."

"Um, I think tomatoes are vegetables." Akari interjected. She took a sip of her beverage as Gill politely argued.

"No, I believe they are fruit due to their structure and…"

"Either way, I guess it doesn't matter. Sorry for interrupting, but please continue."

"Thank you." Gill's lips curved upwards a little. He was growing fonder of the island's farmer every day. She was the closest friend he had ever had and he enjoyed her company. "Over the years, tomatoes became an essential part of my diet. I guess that is all there is to it."

Akari was surprised at how simple the reason was. She was expecting something much more complex. What was more, though, was that she would have never guessed that Gill's mom had dyed her hair. For the mayor's wife, that sure was unexpected. The farmer had a new found respect for the woman, even if she had never met her.

The blonde looked at the clock that sat on a nearby wall. "I apologize, Akari. I must leave or I'll be late. Stop by the town hall later and say hi if you'd like. I enjoyed our conversation." He smiled at her one last time and departed.

The young woman would forever wonder what Mrs. Hamilton was like. She seemed like a sweet, yet a tad eccentric lady from what she had heard, but she could never be sure. It didn't really matter; it just left more to the imagination.

* * *

**So like yeah, the end! Yes, I actually do believe that Gill isn't a cold person. That's Chase's thing (I love him too, don't worry). I just had to get this out and get restarted with writing fanfic. I erased everything (the little bit that was there, that is) last year because I didn't feel good about anything. On another note, this is the first of a string of one-shots that I'll use every now and then to explain why certain HM characters like or don't like or do or whatever stuff. So yeah. Bye bye!**


End file.
